On Jan 13 Jessica from Green Tech Imaging cold called our office, wanting to know what printers we use so that she can save us a lot of money.
When I asked for a website she said it was down.
When I asked for a contact phone number she gave me 888-875-2437.
She was friendly, but rather persistent about getting the printer information from me (I never gave it to her and don't plan on it); I told her it wasn't in front of me and I couldn't go look for that information right now.
She asked if she could call back tomorrow after I looked at the printer, I told her "Sure!"
I checked the website[http://greentechimaging.com/index.html] and she's right, it's down - there's no contact information or information about the company at all.
I called the phone number and it was answered by an automated operator, but without stating the company name.
I pressed 4 to speak to an operator and the first thing I asked the operator that answered my call was "Where is your company located?" She answered "California." I asked, "Where in California?" She answered, "Chatsworth."
Nothing I can find online indicates that this business exists beyond their questionable website: no map listing, no BBB listing, no reviews, no complaints, no nothing.
On Jan 14 Jessica called me back and I was able to get the company's address: Green Tech Imaging is located at 9120 Owensmouth Ave, Los Angeles, CA 91311.
When you look it up on a map, you find that it's located less than 400 feet away from Allstate Imaging Incorporated (aka Allstate Imagining), which can be found at 21621 Nordhoff St Chatsworth, CA, 91311-5825.
If you look up reviews and complaints regarding Allstate Imagining Incorporated, there's not a lot of positive feedback regarding their business practices, including a lot of information regarding them here on the complaint website.
On a hunch...
I looked up Allstate Imaging's website [http://www.allstateimaging.com/index.html].
Then I looked up Green Tech's website again [http://greentechimaging.com/].
(Take a moment and compare those two websites - it's very interesting.)
I then had another hunch and called Allstate Imaging and asked for Jessica. The girl who answered the phone asked me why and I told her that Jessica and I had been talking about office supplies, as a matter of fact we had talked only about an hour ago. She said that she'd be able to take a message for Jessica to call me back, so I left my name and number, which they already have anyway.
So, now I'm waiting for Jessica from Green Tech Imaging (a "brand new company" according to Jessica) to call me back after I left a message for her with someone from Allstate Imaging.
30 minutes later: I received a phone call from Jessica from Green Tech Imaging about 30 minutes after leaving her a message at Allstate Imaging to give me a call. I even asked her if she and I had spoken only an hour and a half before, just to make sure I had the same Jessica, and she confirmed that for me too.
This confirmed my belief that Green Tech Imaging and Allstate Imaging are indeed the same company.
If an unknown company cold calls your office and immediately wants to know what specific office equipment you use, be careful, do not tell them anything, and get as much contact information you can from them.
The minute you tell them what type of printer you use, or what type of fax machine you use, there will be unsolicited merchandise showing up at your door, with the expectation that you will pay for their overpriced goods, as well as their ridiculously priced shipping fees.
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